National Basketball Association - Phoenix Suns

Dressing Up the Suns

By Josh Greene, Suns.com
Posted: Oct. 28, 2003

When it comes to dressing the Suns, and almost every other Valley sports organization, Greg Fisher of Campbell Fisher Design has had a hand in creating teams’ signature looks whether it be on the court, field, ice or artificial turf.

Fisher’s designs, which include the Suns’ new orange uniform and their current PHX bird logo, have been used by Valley sports teams for over 15 years.

“I’ve done the Rattlers (uniforms),” Fisher says, “the Suns, the Coyotes, uniforms for the Diamondbacks, and all the secondary logos, all the primary logos.”

In 1988, Fisher jumped into the sports design fray when the Suns were looking to abandon their original 1968 logo. He well remembers the account-winning design that landed him a high-profile client and also helped open doors just in time for the up-and-coming Phoenix sports scene.

“Two or three different design firms in this market were told, ‘Two of you are going to get paid $5,000 at the end of the week. One of you is going to be the our design firm,’” he recalls. “And that was me. I won the business, and I’ve been working for them for a long time.”

The Suns still consider Fisher the go-to-guy when it comes to handling industry terms like ticking, drop shadows and trim packages. In addition to putting together the recent retro uniforms worn during the Suns’ two “Hardwood Classics” last season, he had a major hand in the team’s new, orange alternate look.

“We’ve been trying to drive the orange as an alternate jersey for a while,” Fisher said. “For the Suns, the goal was to create an older, more traditional look. We tried to do that with the ‘PHX.’ We tried to create a new look and feel, in addition to the home and away uniforms, that had a little more fashion bend to it.”

While it’s up to Campbell Fisher Design to come up with the in-depth creative suggestions for teams to use as part of their apparel, they also must abide by any league requirements. For the NBA, uniform specs have changed a great deal over the years. Although, they now look to be taking a small step backward.

“The league is trying to promote going back to a uniform that’s not so baggy,” Fisher says. “In the old days, Charles Barkley’s armholes would hang down to his waist because that’s what he liked. The league is trying to move away from that. It’s a better look for the NBA.”

Fisher’s projects aren’t just limited to apparel. The designer’s been hard at work on a new logo and scoreboard for the renovated America West Arena. Whether it’s for “the look” or “the house,” Fisher’s happy to just be a part of the Suns’ family.

“We enjoy sports and it’s great to see the fruition of your work out there,” he said. “It’s exciting to be involved in sports marketing.”

This article was taken from www.nba.com/suns/.  All rights reserved.